Prosper

The accuracy with which the show captures the performative faith and lack of self awareness of Megachurch incredibly accurately to be quite honest.

The preaching and coded language has drawn some ire in other reviews for being cringe-worthy, but frankly that is astonishingly true to Megachurches and the people that run them. The Megachurch jargon is also accurately captured, and much like real life the characters use it to deflect their predatory behaviour.

There's a surprising amount of good in this show for Christians who are to put it politely disenchanted with Megachurches. The show is certainly not anti religion, and it easily could have gone that way which is a credit to the writers.

The main weakness of the this show is the utter lack of humour within it. If you're going to compare yourself to Succession, one of the funniest shows of the last decade or so, there needs to be at least an attempt to engage in humour in some form. Given the actors involved, this is certainly a surprise, with Roxburgh in particular having done Rake in the past, which struck the balance of comedy and bleakness in the way Prosper desperately needed.

I'd definitely recommend the show to anyone interested in the subject matter and all it entails, but if you're looking for something funnier, this show probably isn't for you.

Prosper is blessed with an outstanding cast of respected Australian actors and is based on a timely and relevant premise given the unsettling influence megachurches and pentecostal Christianity more broadly claim to wield in many secular societies, despite their overall insignificant numbers.

However as an ex-Pentecostal with an all too familiar understanding of the whys and wherefores of that strange world, I feel Prosper's writers and actors would have benefited from developing a deeper knowledge and understanding of the language, cultures and idiosyncrasies of both the on-stage performances of celebrity preachers and the jargon and deluded self-assurance that those people employ in their everyday lives.

There are definitely moments in Prosper where Richard Roxburgh's talents as an actor are allowed to truly shine, particularly during some of Cal's darker moments. But when Cal is "in character" as a celebrity man of god in front of his congregation or praying on his own, his portrayal becomes more wooden and inauthentic. Rebecca Gibney is in fully Lady Macbeth mode for much of the series which I think is also a missed opportunity given the public role of the typical Pastor's wife in this world is to be a happy, shiny accessory. More juxtaposition between the persona and the person would have made her character richer and given Gibney a wider repertoire to work with.

My other reservation with this show is the number of subplots going on in each episode. Some end up feeling undercooked as a result. I would have preferred to see a slower build and more nuance and more tension around fewer threads of the story.

Hopefully if a second series is made, the will be opportunity to bring on writers or consultants who really, truly know how the murky world of pentecostalism works and thereby add a sorely needed layer of authentic credibility to this show which will reduce some of the cringe.

Incredible performances - Richard Roxburgh is truly one of the best actors around today. Great writing, stunning cinematography, complex character studies, nuanced, intelligent music, editing and stylised direction. The twists and turns are incredibly compelling. There are still lots of unresolved stories so would love season 2 asap! We binged it all in one day. Stylistically it's part Succession, part Fall of the House of Usher, and its own style of mystery and drama. Prosper is a brilliant achievement - a stunning exploration of hubris, family, love, desire, hypocrisy, deception, influence and the fall of man. Wow! Very excited for season 2!

Ah.. Here we go again. I did manage to watch this in one night and while I thought it was ok, I just want someone at Rebecca and Richard's agencies to apologise to them, oh an apologise to Jacek Koman as well this is one of his best performances in years and yet he got casted here.

The story jumps up and down and the B story is like three stories that mix together in some confusing way and someone in the script department just went "make everyone sound as nervous as possible." it's fine but gets old quick and most of the way the characters speak is like they aren't used to talking in such a way.

Maybe give it a few years and I might watch it again, but if it does get a second season I hope they replace the writing team.

When the trailers for this series first started to come out, I was skeptical at first as it seemed to be taking the approach of attacking the church and villainising modern Christians rather than presenting a balanced view of the current state of the modern church today.

As a man of faith myself, also processing the realities of faith and belief, I found this series pleasantly surprising. It masterfully takes on many of the current cultural issues of Christian Churches developed in the western world and the reality of creating more harm than good, despite the best intentions, as we see very human and relatable characters throughout, especially if you have ever spent any significant time in a mega church.

For one, they nail the culture of these types of churches, from the theological perspectives, to the buildings, the little nuances in rituals, and even some of the more unpleasant cliche's of Head Pastors with a dysfunctional family. The acting and cinematography is stellar, and the message conveyed by the end of it I think is very important, although uncomfortable for some modern Christians who may still feel compelled to defend the churches they dedicate themselves to. All in all, this is certainly a very niche topic, but brilliantly made and informative, thumbs up from me.